Rituals and magic.

[Brad Young]

A long time favorite:

-  Conquistadors of the Useless

[clink]

Plank Across the Back Side

Let's not go there

[Brad Young]

Great name. Imaginative route. I think 5.9 ** and very worth doing.

Would not have wanted to lead that crux pitch wet or with one less bolt (much less with both conditions!!). That’s impressive too.

BAP is tough.

[NOAL]

I never saw the top/end of that route.  Where does it end and what do you see?

[Brad Young]

It ends at a two bolt anchor just above the highest chockstone. Another ten feet of easy fifth above the bolts leads to the tops of big boulders. Behind there is a fairly level area with a forest of oaks and a short distance behind that a massive forest of poison oak.

[Brad Young]

The total length of that pitch, to that anchor, is 65 feet.

[NOAL]

Thanks. Now I can sleep at night.

[JC w KC redux]

Great name. Imaginative route. I think 5.9 ** and very worth doing.
Would not have wanted to lead that crux pitch wet or with one less bolt (much less with both conditions!!). That’s impressive too.

No way that crux in the V slot is 5.9

[Brad Young]

No way that crux in the V slot is 5.9

It’s straightforward, but slightly  slanty  chimneying and it could be 5.8. But it seemed a little harder than the lower, 5.8 crux and similar to the crux of Fifi Wears Lycra. I think 5.9 is the right grade.

[clink]

 Harder when wet. I remember Noal's slimed out FA well.

[NOAL]

 I remember Noal's slimed out FA well.

Ah yes, I also recall the delightful afternoon we spent in the Swamp Vag.  Such dirty, wet, hard drillin' excitement.   

[Brad Young]

Two words:

Totally bone dry.

Actually we may have done the first ever not slimy ascent 

[JC w KC redux]

Hang a Slippery When Wet sign at the entrance.

[clink]

 Catchy new route name Noal. Brad wouldn't publish it though. Gulliver's Before Unmentioned Travels

[JC w KC redux]

Two words:
Totally bone dry.

I demand a recount!

[Brad Young]

Thanks, Clink.

I'm trying to get work done here and suddenly, from outside my office, I hear Ellen laughing very loudly.

I walk out, half-amused, to check on the humor. She's slightly red-faced and laughing at the rock feature "Godzilla's Testicle." Where do you come up with this sh#t?

You're distracting my staff.

[clink]

From hanging out with the other Meanderthals 

[Brad Young]

All photos by Clink.

Start of the first pitch:




The only truly run-out section of the route is the 5.5 squeeze chimney at the top of pitch four:







What happens on the approach to people who make snarky comments about someone's legs:

[Zay]

Oh man, headlamps mandatory? Chimney after chimney? Dudes has thing thing seen a second?

[JC w KC redux]

Oh man, headlamps mandatory? Chimney after chimney? Dudes has thing thing seen a second?

Hay Zay,

I'm not sure about thing thing and as far as I know Brad's ascent was the coveted 2nd ascent.

He and clink did a pitch a week later to connect up with Feather Canyon while Gavin and I climbed Cornflake and Where's Waldo.